Ladle maintenance safety cage with means for suspending spare stopper rod therein



LADLE MAINTENANCEE SAFETY CAGE WI TH MEANS F'QR SUSPENDING SPARE STOPPER ROD THEREIN- Filed Sept. 13, 1957 '0 .13,1 J IQ-LREIG'HART 2,908,055

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32 BY JmeHReyhart my 4 9W;

.4TTo ms Ufl d t te. Pete 07 LADLE MAINTENANCE SAFETY CAGE WITH MEANS FOR SUSPENDING SPARESTOPPER ROD THEREIN K 1 1 used for receiving molten metal openfhe'arth'or electricfurnace and pouring the metal into ingot molds or the like, and more particularly to means for suspending a spare stopper rod in the cage; and the present application ice to the safety .c'ageand tcposition the new stopper rod in the stopper rod'setting welliof the safetyjcage 'sothat the workman within the cage 'may connect the stopper rod to the gooseneck of the ladle.

. It frequently happens that-at the time the workman in the safety cage is readyfora new stopper rod,that another ladle may be inuseat a point between the ladle in which the safety cage'is located at the time andthe point where the spare stopper rods are stored. This re quires a considerable delay until the metal has been poured from said other ladle before a crane can convey a new stopper rod from the storage point .to the safety I It is, therefore, an object of thefpresentinvention to provide a ladle maintenance safety cage with a stopper r'od settingwell' therein and an open-sided pocket-comis a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial 'No. 578,328, filed April 16 1956", now US. Patent No. 2,816,335. f

In conventional steel millfpractice; molten metalis poured from an open hearth orelectric furnace into a ladle having a nozzle in its bottom for pouring the molten metal from the ladle into ingot molds. This nozzle is formed of refractory material and is adapted to be closed by a stopper rod which extends to thextop of the ladle and is connected to a gooseneck through which it is operated to control the pouring of molten metal through the nozzle.

The stopper rod is in the form of a metal rod having a stopper head of compressedgiaphite' or'the, like'atits lower end, and having a plurality of refractory sleeves located throughout the length of the rod. This refractory lining of the stopper rodand the refractory nozzle both burn out and must be replaced after the pouring of each heatofmetal. n n Under usual steel mill practice, it is necessary to wait several hours after the pouring of a heat before the ladle is sufliciently cool toallow a'rnan to enterthe ladlein order to replace the burned-out nozzle and stopper rod.

The ladle maintenance'safetycage disclosed in my copending application above'referred to may be placed in. a hot ladle immediately after the metal has been poured therefrom so that a man may immediately enter the safety cage and replace the burned-out nozzle and stopper rod This ladle maintenance safety cage comprises generally a refractory lined steel shell adapted to fit within a ladle and having a stopper rod setting well in one side thereof, extending from the top of the cage to the bottom thereof and communicating. at itslower endwith a'working notch in the bottom of the cage through which aworkman the cage may have easy access to the nozzle of the ladle,

so as to remove the old humed-out nozzle and place a,

new nozzle therein.

, A platform is located within the cage at a point'spaced from the top thereof so that a workman standing upon the platform may disconnect the burned-out stopper'rod from the gooseneck of the ladle andmount a new'stopper rod therein.

The graphite stopper head upon such stopper rods is. very fragile and subject to fracture from impact, which means" for suspending a spare stopper rodlwithin said;

municating with one side of the stopper rod setting well and extending to a point above the top of the cage for suspending a, spare stopper rod therein with the stopper head thereof spaced above the the side's of the cage."

Another object is to provide a ladle maintenance safety cage of the character referred toin which the upper end of the pocket for the spare stopper rod has a top wall provided with a slot through which the upper end of the spare stopper rodrextends and from whichthe sparestopper rod'is suspended, i f Y A further object is to provide such a ladle maintenance cage of the characterreferredfto, in which the spare stopper rodis suspended from the] upper wall of the pocket by means "of the usual nuts which connect the stopper rod ti) 'thegooseneck of theladle. v r p A still further object is to providefa ladle. maintenance safetycage of this type in which a pivotedlatch is pro-.

Theabove and other objects apparent from the drawing and following description, may be attained, the above de.-. scribed difliculties overcome and the advantages and re sultslobtained, by'the apparatus, construction, arrange,

ment and combinations, subcombinations'and parts which.

comprise the presentinvention, a preferred. embodiment of which, illustrative of the best mode inwhich applicant has contemplated applying the principle, being set forth in detail in the followingdescription and illustrated the accompanyingdrawinglf,

In general terms, they invention ma js'e briefly. 'clescribed a's comprising a ladle maintenance safety cage. in the form of a refractory lined steelshell, shapedfltofitwithin a ladle andjhaving a stopper rod setting well in one side thereof, with a wo king notch in the bottom of the cage.

below and ,inalig'nment with the 'stopperrod setting well,

and a pocket'for suspending a spare stopperrod comm unie catingwith one side of the stopper v,rod settingwell and extending to" a point aboflvejthe'top' of the ladle, with pocket with the stopper head of the rod spaced above the bottom and away from the side walls of the ladle.

permits a workman within the cage to disconnect.

the spare stopper rod from the top of the pocket and to maintenance safety cage'embodying'the invention, showmove the stopper rod from the pocket into the stopper rod setting Welland lower the stopper rod throughrthe workingj notch in the bottom of the cage. into contact with the nozzle of the ladle,and then connect th upper, A end of the stopper rod to -the goosenec k of the ladle. By waylofexample, a preferred embodiment of the improvedladlefmaintenance safety. cage ;with spare stopper rod suspending pocket therein is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which;

"Fig. 1 is aivertical sectional-view through a ladle.

f Patented p 13,1959.

bottom and away from.

ing a spare'stoppe'r rod suspended within pocket comfrom down to the stopper rod setting platform 27, located municating with the stopper rod setting well, taken on the line 1-1, Fig. 2;

Fig, 2 is a top plane view of the ladle maintenance. safety cage shown in Fig.1, with the access door open and the hin gedj cover plate'inopenpositiom,

"Fig. 3 is an enlargedtop plan view rod suspension pocket; I

' Fig.. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the. upper portion of the" sparestopper rod suspension'pocket, taken as on the line 4 -4', Fig. 3; and,

Fig.5 isa fragmentary sectional view of the upper portion of the spare stopper rod" suspension pocket taken as on the line 5-5, Fig. 3, showing the upper portion, of

f the spare stopper within the cage at a suitable height therein to permit a workman standing on the platform to disconnect the old burned-out stopper rod from the gooseneck of the ladle and to place a new stopper rod in position in the ladle, through the stopper rodsetting. well 17. I h

. Angular hand rails 28 are located within the cage,

, above the. stopper rod setting platform 27, with the angular ends thereof disposed toward and on each sideof a long ladder 29 attached to the inside of the cage and leading from the top of the cage to the bottom thereof;

A safety chain 30 may be detachably connected to the hand rails 28 when a workman is working on the platform 27, this chain being removable to. permit the workman to step from the platform 27 onto the ladder 29.

For the purpose of suspending a spare stopper rod within the cage in position to be easily and readily moved into the stopper rod setting well 17, in order to seat the stopper This cage comprises a substantially cylindrical metallic.

shell 10, of substantially the same height asv the ladle in which it is to;be used, and of proper diameter to permit loweringthe cage: into the ladle in the manner disclosed and described in detail in mycopending application above referred to.

Since-the manner in which the safety cage is located 7 within the ladle is illustrated and described in detail in my copending application, it is not thought necessary that the ladlebe shown inthe present application. 7 v

The side walls 11 and bottom wall 12 of the steel shell areprovided with a suitable heat insulation lining of. brick or the like, as indicated at 13 and-14 respectively; A ver-. tical opening 15 is formed in one side of the cage in the manner'illustrated and' described in detail in my copending application, and communicatesiat its lower end with. a working notch. 16 in the bottom wall" of the cage.

A vertical'stopper rod setting well '17, comprising a steel shell 18 and refractory insulation 19",, communicates with the vertical opening 15 in the side wall of'the "cage and extends from the top of the cage to a point spaced" from the lower end thereof, below which an access door.

When the workman within the cage is removing'the old:

burned-out nozzle from the ladle and placing a new nozzle therein, the access door 20 maybe closed and the hinged cover 22" may be lowered into horizontal position upon the top of thedoor. I

' When itis desired to set the new stopper rod,the hinged cover 22 is swung upward to open position and thedoor 20 is swung to open' position, entirely clearing the stopper rod setting well, as shown in Figs. 1 and. 2. Thus,jthe door-20 andhinged cover 22 when open, form no obstructionQwithin the cage which might interfere with removal of the burned-out stopper rod or setting of a new stopper rod inthe ladle. 7

' An approach platform. 24 may be attached to the upper end of'the. cage and extends radially therefrom, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in. order to provide safe entrance and.

exit for the workman to and fifom the interior ofthe cage. Hand rails 25"are located on each side of the approach platform atsuitable height to be grasped by a workman Walking upon the'platform. A shortladder 2 6 is attached to the inside of 'the cage, adjacent tothe approach platform 24, and. extends there.-

red in the nozzle of the ladle, a recess 31 is formed in the side. of the stopper rod setting well 17 opposite to the side upon which. the. access. door 20. is hinged, and a channel or u shape pocket.32, 'formed of sheet steel or the like, is, mounted. hr the recess 31 and extends to a point above the: top. of the. cage, as best shown in Fig.v 1.

A top pl-at e. 33 is;.welded or otherwise attached to the upper "end of the pocket '32 and has a slot 34 therein open at the upper side of the pocket 32. This slot is of sufficientdiam'eter to. receive the projecting upper end of the steel rod 35 ofthe stopper rod asbest shown in Figs. 1 and 5';

The. usual nuts 36 and 37, by means of which the stopper rod is attached to the gooseneck of the ladle, may

a be tightened against the top and bottom respectively of theftop plate 33 of'the pocket, as shown. in these figures, in order to' secure the spare stopper rod, indicated generally at 38, so. that. the same is suspended within the cage with the graphite stopper head. 39 thereof suspended.

above. the'bottom wall and away from the. side walls of i the cage,'so-that the same is protected against impact 0 contact. with the bottom or sides of the cage.

As a safety precaution, a latch bar 40 may be provided across the slot 34 to prevent accidental displacement of the stopper rod from the. pocket 32. This latch bar. has a'pi'vot pin 41 at one end extending through an. aperture 42' intthe topwall 33 of'the. pocket andis provided witha shoulder. or he'ad 43 at its lower end.

. At the other end of the latch bar 40,. a depending. lug

44 is. provided, adapted. tobe received in an opening 45 swung" uponthe; pivot pin 41 tov clear the slot 34v in the in the top wall 33. The pivot pin 41 is of considerably greater length than the lug 44, whereby the latch bar '40 may be g'raspedby thefi'ngers and raised to remove the lug.44.from'the aperture 45, the latch bar 40 then. being top plate 33. in order to. permit the spare stopper rod to be removed. from the pocket 32. a

After the workman: has. removed the old burned-out stopper .rod and replaced the. burned-out nozzle. in theladle,v the latch bar 40 may be swung to openposition and the 'nuts 36 and 37 upon the stopper rod may be loosened so that the Workman, standing upon theplatform27, may move the spare stopper rod 38 laterally out of the pocket32onto. the stopper rod setting Well 17 and gently lower the stopper rod so that the stopper head 39 thereof is. seated upon-the nozzle inthe ladle.

The upper end of the threaded rod 35 of the stopper rodmay then be. attached to the gooseneck of the ladle, by means of the nuts 36 and 37, in conventional manner, after which the cage may be removed from-the ladle and the. ladle. again ready for use. I

1 It. will thus be apparent that the improved ladle maintenance safety cage. with suspension means for a spare stopper'rodprovides janadditional improvement and advantage. insettinga new stopper rod in. a. ladle. With the pocket inlonesideof the stopper rod setting well of the.

protect the stopper head thereon, and in position where it is easily accessible to the workman within the cage, so that it may be quickly and easily moved from the pocket into the stopper rod setting well and properly set in the nozzle of the ladle and attached to the gooseneck of the ladle.

' In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such words are used for descriptive purposes herein and are'intended to be broadly construed. 3

I Moreover, the embodiments of the improved construction illustrated and described herein areby way of ex-' ample, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exact details of construction.

Having now described the invention or discovery, the construction, the operation, and use of preferred embodiments thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and useful construction, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A ladle maintenance safety cage for protecting a human operator from the heat of a ladle'used for molten metal and having a nozzle in its bottom and a stopper rod controlling said nozzle, said cage comprising a steel shell adapted to be inserted into the ladle, a heat insulation lining within said shell, there being a vertical opening in one side of the cage extending from the top of the cage to the bottom thereof, a stopper rod setting well in said one side of the cage and adapted to accommodate the stopper rod in the ladle, said well extending from the top of the cage to a point spaced from the bottom thereof and comprising spaced vertical side walls extending inwardly from opposite edges of said vertical opening and a ver- 7 tical back wallconnected to the inner edges of said side walls, there being a working notch in the bottom of the cage communicating with the lower end of said vertical opening and providing access to the nozzle in the ladle, a vertical pocket in one side wall of said well, and means for suspending a spare stopper rod in said pocket with the lower end of the spare stopper rod spaced above the bottom of the cage, whereby the spare stopper rod may be moved laterally from said pocket into the well and inserted through said working notch into engagement with the nozzle of the ladle.

2. A ladle maintenance safety cage for protecting a human operator from the heat of a ladle used for molten metal and having a nozzle in its bottom and a stopper rod controlling said nozzle, said cage comprising a steel shell adapted to be inserted into the ladle, a heat insulation lining within said shell, there being a vertical opening in one side of the cage extending from the top of the cage to the bottom thereof, a stopper rod setting well in said one side of the cage and adapted to accommodate the stopper rod in the ladle, said Well extending from the top of the cage to a point spaced from the bottom thereof and comprising spaced vertical side walls extending inwardly from'opposite edges of said vertical opening and a vertical back wall connected to the inner edges of said side walls, there being a working notch inthe bottom of the cage communicating with the lower end of said vertical opening and providing access to the nozzle in the ladle, a vertical pocket in one side wall of said well, and means at "the upper end of said pocket for suspending a spare stopper rod in said pocket with the lower end of the spare stopper rod spaced from the bottom and sides of the cage, whereby the spare stopper rod may be moved laterally from said pocket into the well and inserted through said working notch into engagement with the nozzle of the ladle.

3. A ladle maintenance safety cage for protecting a human operator from the heat of a ladle used for molten lining within said shell, there being a vertical opening in one side of the cage extending from the top of the' cage to the bottom thereof, a stopper rod setting well in said one side of the cage and adapted to accommodate the stopper rod in the ladle, said well extending from the top of the cage to a point spaced from the bottom thereof and comprising spaced vertical side walls, extending inwardly from opposite edges of said vertical opening and a vertical back wall connected to the inner edges of said sidewalls, there being aworking notch in the bottom of the cagecommunicating with the lower end of, said vertical opening and providing access to the nozzle in the ladle, a vertical pocket in one side wall of. said well, said pocket comprising a generally, channel. shapemember extending above the top of the cage, andxmeans at the upper end of said pocket with the lower end of said spare stopper rod spaced from the bottom and sides of the cage, for suspending a spare stopper rod in said pocket, whereby the spare stopper rod may be moved .laterally fromsaid. pocket into the well and inserted through said working notch into engagement with the nozzle of the ladle.

4. A ladle maintenance safety cage for protecting a human operator fromthe heat of a ladle used for molten metal and having a nozzle in its bottom and a stopper rod controlling said nozzle, said cage comprising a steel shell adapted to be inserted into the ladle, a heat insulation lining within said shell, there being a vertical opening in one side of the cage extending from the top of the cage to the bottom thereof, a stopper rod setting well in said one side of the cage and adapted to accommodate the stopper rod in the ladle, said well extending from the top of the cage to a point spaced from the bottom thereof and comprising spaced vertical side Walls extending inwardly from opposite edges of said vertical opening and a vertical back wall connected to the inner edges of said side walls, there being a working notch in the bottom of the cage communicating with the lower end of said vertical opening and providing access to the nozzle in the ladle, a vertical pocket in one side wall of said well, a top plate on the pocket having a slot therein for receiving the upper end of a spare stopper rod located in said pocket, and means for attaching the upper end of the spare stopper rod to said top plate with the lower end of said spare stopper rod spaced from the bottom and sides of the cage, whereby the spare stopperrod may be moved laterally from said pocket into the well and inserted through said working notch into engagement with the nozzle of the ladle.

5. A ladle maintenance safety cage for protecting a human operator from the heat of a ladle used for molten metal and having a nozzle in its bottom and a stopper rod controlling saidnozzle, said cage comprising a steel shell adapted to be inserted into the ladle, a heat insulation lining within said shell, there being a vertical opening in one side of the cage extending from the top of the cage to the bottom thereof, a stopper rod setting Well in said one side of the cage and adapted to accommodatethe stopper rod in the ladle, said well extending from the top of the cage to a point spaced from the bottom thereof and comprising spaced vertical side walls extending inwardly from opposite edges of said vertical opening and a vertical back wall connected to the inner edges of i 6; A ladle maintenance safety .cage for protecting a human operator from the heat of a ladle used'for molten metal and having a nozzle in its bottom and a stopper rod controlling said nozzle, said cage comprising a steel shell adapted to be inserted into the ladle, a heat insulation liningwithin said shell, there being a'vertical opening in one sideof the cage extending from the top of the cage to the bottom thereof, a stopper rod setting well in said one side of the cage and adapted to accommodate the stopper rod in the ladle, saidwell extending from the top of thecage to a point spaced from the bottom. thereof and comprising spaced vertical side Walls extending inwardly from opposite edges of said vertical opening and a'vertical'backi well connected to the inner edges of said side walls; there being'a working notch in the bottom-of the cage fcorninnnicating with the lower, end of said vertical openingand providing access-to the nozzle in the lathe, a vertical pocket in one'side Wall of-said well, a

top plate on the pocket having a slot therein forreceiving the'upper end of a spare stopper rod located in said pocket, means for attaching the upper end of thespare stopper rod to said 'topv plate, and a pivoted latch barren said top plate [for locking the upper endlof the spare stopper rod insaid slot with the lower end of said spare stopperlrod spaced from the bottorn'and sides of -the cage, whereby the spare stopper rod may be moved laterally from said pocket into theelland inserted through said Working notch into engagement with the nozzle of the ladle. I

References Cited in the file of this patent V *UNITED STATES PATENTS a 1,573,474 Shawl F Mar. 3(l,'1926 

